George Washington Carver National Monument and Buffalo National River BioBlitz events - 2014

Hinsey, Janice; Johnson, Theresa

A BioBlitz is an event where volunteer scientists, students, and citizen scientists work together to find and identify as many different taxa as possible within a designated area using scientific methods. BioBlitz events and citizen scientists help “bridge the gap” and provide additional biological information that can be used in maintaining and restoring park resources. On September 27, 2014, a second BioBlitz event was held at George Washington Carver National Monument (GWCA) located in Diamond, Missouri with focus taxa being land snails, butterflies and moths, and grasshoppers and their relatives. Over the 8-hour period, the teams, comprised of 16 volunteers, collected 44 unique taxa, of which 36 had not previously been reported from the park. An additional 37 park visitors participated in the educational program. A water mite BioBlitz event was held by the Buffalo National River (BUFF) on October 18, 2014 at the Toney Bend Environmental Education Center near Rush, Arkansas, which houses the Arkansas State University’s Harp Research Field Station. Participants included 13 volunteers who collected 18 unique taxa, none of which had previously been reported from the park. There were also 10 attendees at the center open house. The 2014 BioBlitz events were a great success. These events have resulted in the publication of a step-by-step guide on the planning and conducting of a BioBlitz event at small to medium National Park Service units. The next event is scheduled for July 2015 at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield (WICR) in Republic, Missouri, and will focus on pollinators.

George Washington Carver National Monument and Buffalo National River BioBlitz events - 2014

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